


where to start

by sugaplumvisions



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Getting Together, M/M, Multi, Nonbinary Sugawara Koushi, Other, Polyamory, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:54:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24028480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugaplumvisions/pseuds/sugaplumvisions
Summary: Daichi and Kuroo are curious about having two soulmates. They come to Kageyama, Suga, and Oikawa for answers.
Relationships: Kageyama Tobio/Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi, Kuroo Tetsurou/Terushima Yuuji/Sawamura Daichi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 106





	where to start

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hazazel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazazel/gifts).



> Love you Haz!!!!!!! Happy Spring Exchange! I hope you like it!!!!!! 
> 
> I want to thank elothefairy because this fic would NOT be the same without the real excellent beta reading

It’s midnight when Suga gets the text. 

_ Dai: Can Kuroo and I talk to u three?  _

_ Suga: “always!! what about???”  _

_ Dai: Complicated. Are you free tomorrow night???  _

_ Suga: 4 you? always <3  _

They talk out when Daichi and Kuroo will meet up with Suga and their partners, Suga referring to their triad’s Google calendar to get the timing right. 

_ Dai: Where are we meeting?”  _

_ Suga: come over to our place. tobio is making chicken tonkatsu ramen. _

_ Dai: Mmmmmmm. Kuroo and I will see you then. _

Daichi arrives promptly on time the next day, holding Kuroo’s hand. He’s shifting nervously when Suga opens the door and envelops him in a hug. 

“Daichi! It’s so good to see you!” 

“It’s been too long,” Daichi says, squeezing Suga tight. “We need to start planning things when I’m not having an existential crisis.” 

“An existential crisis?” Suga says. 

“I’ll tell you more when we’re all together,” Daichi says. 

“Tease,” Suga accuses. 

“You don’t know the half of it,” Kuroo says, and shoots Suga a wink. 

Suga doubles over laughing as Daichi blushes. Kuroo grins. 

“Come on in,” Suga says once their giggles have subsided. “Sit your butts down!”

“Dai-chan! Kuro-chan!” Oikawa calls in from the kitchen. “Welcome!” 

“Good to see you both,” Kageyama says over the sound of bubbling oil. 

Daichi and Kuroo walk into the living room and sit down on the loveseat, with Suga settling down criss-cross applesauce in the middle of the sofa. The room is cozy, all purple and blue, with dirty kneepads adorning the corners. Suga’s early education books are strewn over the coffee table and side tables, along with binders and notebooks with tiny, detailed handwriting. 

“What have you two been up to?” Suga asks. 

“College as usual,” Daichi says. “I’m doing summer classes, so I’ve barely had time for anything, what with the studying. Finals are coming up.” 

“He thinks he’s got it bad,” Kuroo says. “He’s just a boring ol sports science boy who’s not taking organic chem.” 

“He’s right,” Daichi says. “I’ve seen his homework and it’s horrifying.” 

“I’m lucky; I’m not taking summer classes,” Suga says. “And then there’s those two, smacking a volleyball for a living.”

“Gods, I wish that were me,” Daichi says. 

“But then you wouldn’t have your dad bod!” Kuroo protests. “I love your dad bod!” 

“I suspect you just love me,” Daichi says, leaning over to kiss him. 

“No PDA in my apartment!” Suga protests teasingly. 

Oikawa comes up behind them and lays a hand on their shoulder. Suga lifts their head up to kiss them. They intend it to be quick and chaste, but Oikawa nibbles on their lower lip, and they sigh into the kiss. 

“I thought you just said no PDA?” Kuroo says. 

“You hypocrite,” Daichi says fondly. 

“It’s not public for us,” Oikawa quips. “This is  _ our _ apartment.” 

“Dinner’s almost ready!” Kageyama calls in. “Can someone set the table?” 

“I can help,” Daichi volunteers. He goes into the kitchen, along with Suga, and they make short work of it. 

“Here it is,” Kageyama says, setting the bowls on the table. “I hope it’s good.” 

“Tobio, you’re the best cook of all of us,” Oikawa says. “It’s obviously going to be great.” 

They all gather together and sit down at the table. Suga, Kageyama, and Oikawa sit at one side with Suga in the middle, ankles tangling, and Kuroo and Daichi sit on the other. 

“I’m sure it will be delicious,” Daichi says. 

Kuroo takes a long slurp. “He’s right.” 

“I usually am,” Daichi says with a smile. 

“What did you want to talk to all of us about?” Kageyama asks. 

Daichi sighs, long and deep. “How do you know you’ve got a third soulmate? Hell, how do you know someone is your soulmate to begin with? Kuroo was easy. Other people are...harder.”

Suga claps their hands together. “You’re in love?” 

“I...think so?” Daichi says. 

“I’m happy for you,” Kageyama says. He reaches under the table and squeezes Suga’s hand. “Remember when we fell in love?” 

“I was already in love with you, dumbass.”

“Okay, okay,” Kageyama says. “I just wasn’t ready to see it yet.” 

“Are you going to tell us the story, or just gloat about it?” Kuroo asks. 

“I’ll tell it,” Kageyama says. “I suspect Daichi has only heard Suga’s side, which I bet is a lot prettier than mine.” 

“Oh, there’s so much pining,” Suga says. 

“I was pining too, you know!” Kageyama says. “It went like this…” 

##### 

Suga takes Kageyama aside after practice, beckoning him over. Kageyama knows that look. It means he’s fucked up. He also knows that he fucked up at practice, one bad set worming its way inside his brain and turning into another and another.

“Kageyama--” they begin. 

“I know,” Kageyama says. “I wasn’t perfect today. I made notes and I’ll fix it.” 

Suga laughs, more out of surprise than mirth. Something about the timbre sounds like bells ringing. 

“That’s not what I was going to say,” Suga says. 

“What were you going to say, then?” Kageyama asks. 

“You have to remember you have a whole team behind you. If you get frustrated like that again, you don’t have to run yourself into the ground. Setting poorly is only going to make you feel worse about yourself. I’m there for you when you need me.” 

Suga’s arm wraps around his shoulder, and Kageyama feels warmed from the inside. He looks them in the eyes and feels like he could lose himself in dreamy hazel. 

“You with me?” Suga says, bumping him gently with their hip. 

“Yeah,” Kageyama says. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” 

Suga smiles wide. “I’m glad we had this talk.” He squeezes his arm around Kageyama’s shoulders and winks at him. 

“Me too,” Kageyama says, and is surprised to find he means it. 

Twin feelings of static and heat pulse through Kageyama’s upper forearm. He swears and jerks it forward, looking down at it. 

“Sugawara Koushi,” his arm reads. 

It’s his soulmark. He’s gotten his soulmark. 

“Suga-san, show me your arm,” Kageyama instantly demands. 

Suga stands there frozen, mutely holding out their arm.

It reads “Kageyama Tobio.” Suga’s free hand flies to their mouth as Kageyama holds his forearm against theirs. They have each other’s names. The names fit. 

Kageyama has heard horror stories about people who are ready for their soulmates too late, and the other person didn’t get a mark with their name. He’d been about 95 percent sure they were bullshit, just the other players at Kitagawa Daiichi trying to shake his aloof demeanor. But sometimes late at night, after he’d been benched and dubbed the King of the Court, he wondered if they were real, and if by the time someone like him was ready for a soulmate, he wouldn’t have one anymore. He looks at the names again, again, again, as if he’s afraid that they’ll disappear. 

Once he’s done marvelling at their arms--he has a soulmate!  _ Him!-- _ he looks at Suga and realizes that Suga hasn’t spoken this whole time. 

He looks up at them and sees tears shining in their eyes. Oh. They’re disappointed. Of course; who wouldn’t be disappointed to have him as a soulmate? He’s still learning how to be a team player. He’s not sure he knows how to work together with anyone, let alone form a close bond with a soulmate. He’s not known for his popularity, and has a habit of scaring people off completely by accident. This was the worst idea the universe has ever had. 

“Suga-san? Say something?” Kageyama says, coming closer to begging than he maybe ever has. 

Their face lights up as they snap out of their shock and they rush forward, wrapping Kageyama in their arms. Kageyama relaxes into their embrace. So it was real? He didn’t fuck it up? He could have this?

“Oh Tobio,” they say through happy tears, holding him tight. “I’m so happy it’s you!” 

#####

“Suga actually sounds prettier in this version,” Daichi says. 

“Hey!” Suga protests. 

“It’s because he’s biased,” Daichi says. 

“I was in love with you both before we were soulmates, you know,” Kageyama says. Oikawa reaches over Suga to take and squeeze his hand. 

“Like he said! Biased!” Kuroo says. 

“I wasn’t biased when we got together,” Oikawa says. “I was...initially shocked?”

“You liked me a little,” Kageyama says. 

“Okay, maybe a little,” Oikawa concedes, and leans over Suga to kiss Kageyama, quick and chaste. 

“You’re cute,” Kageyama says. 

“Damn right I am,” Oikawa says with a smirk. “So are you.” 

“You’re both cute, dears,” Suga says, smiling, and the two close in on them to kiss them on either cheek. Suga’s smile widens into a slightly-flustered grin. 

“Gross,” Kuroo says, voice light and teasing. 

“Oh shut up,” Daichi says. “You’re just as sappy.” 

Kuroo rolls his eyes. “Maybe so.” 

“So, Kageyama, how did you feel when you found out you had two soulmates?” Daichi asks. 

“Flustered. Kind of in shock? I was convinced Tooru was going to hate me, so I got really blustery and on the defensive. I was a little bit frozen.” 

“Yeah,” Daichi says. “I understand that feeling. He likes me fine now, but if he finds out…” 

“If he finds out he’s your soulmate, what if things change?” Kageyama asks. 

“Well, I barely tolerated Kageyama, and things turned out fine,” Oikawa says. He pulls his legs up so he’s sitting criss-cross in his chair, brushing his bangs out of his eyes and grinning. “Listen up, kids. It’s storytime.” 

#####

Kageyama bows in front of Oikawa. “Please listen to me for a second.” 

“Why should I listen to what my opponent has to say?” Oikawa asks, and turns to leave. It’s not fair, Kageyama demanding help when he could use said help to destroy him. Kageyama had the potential to be better than him, and Oikawa wasn’t going to let that happen at any cost. 

“Please, Oikawa-san,” Kageyama says, bowing even farther. “Please, please!” 

Oikawa begins to walk away, but a tingling in his arm surprises him. It is almost as if his whole arm has fallen asleep, but it’s warm at the same time. He freezes and looks down at his arm as chicken scratch writing begins to form on the surface. He knows who the handwriting belongs to as surely as he knows the name. 

“Kageyama Tobio,” it reads. 

“What the f--” Oikawa says, biting his lip hard enough to hurt, remembering at the last moment not to swear in front of Takeru. 

He turns around to look at Kageyama, who’s similarly marvelling at his arm. 

“I have another soulmate?” Kageyama says. “It’s  _ you?”  _

“Are you kidding me?” Oikawa asks. “You? You’ve actually changed?” 

“Obviously,” Kageyama says, going on the defensive. 

Soulmates are a tricky thing; you can meet a thousand times and never get your soulmark, unless you’re ready to accept it. Unless you’re in a place to learn to love each other, and he wonders if it was Kageyama blocking the soulmark or Oikawa himself. 

“It’s you? You’re my soulmate?” Oikawa looks at him in awe and some kind of hope, unsure of the feelings swirling in his gut. He’d never been sure how he felt about Kageyama. Anger, jealousy...he hadn’t realized the attraction simmering under the surface. 

“Once again, obviously,” Kageyama says, holding out his arm. He looks like a wild rabbit, prepared to run at any moment. 

There’s another name there, and Oikawa fights through the jealousy and confusion to look at his own name. He runs his fingers over it gently, and Kageyama shivers. 

“What’s going on?” Takeru asks. 

Oikawa turns to him. “This idiot,” he says, pointing to Kageyama, “Is my soulmate.” 

“You have to be nice to me,” Kageyama says, deadpan. “I’m your soulmate.” 

“I can and will mock you,” Oikawa says. “It takes some kind of dumbass to get tied to me.” 

He hadn’t intended to be quite so honest, to let his insecurities out under guise of sarcasm, but Kageyama doesn’t seem to notice. Oikawa watches as Kageyama runs his fingers over his arm to Oikawa’s name, where Oikawa has touched, and he’d be lying if he said it isn’t gratifying to see the hope and awe in Kageyama’s eyes. 

“So...will you teach me?” Kageyama asks, hopefully. “Now that I’m your soulmate and all.”

“Don’t push your luck,” Oikawa says, but his voice is fond. “I gotta drop this brat off at my sister’s, but then after that…” 

“You’ll help me?” Kageyama asks. “I mean, or anything. It would be a good way to start--” 

Oikawa rolls his eyes. Does Kageyama have a one-track mind, or what? Here he is, with a new soulmate, and all he can think about is volleyball. 

Somehow, Oikawa wouldn't have him any other way. 

“Actually,” Oikawa cuts him off, “I was thinking dinner.” 

“Oh,” Kageyama says. His cheeks flush. “Yeah, that would be nice.” 

Oikawa grins. “See you at five? Do you--here, give me your phone; I’ve gotten a new one so my number’s different.” 

“I noticed,” Kageyama says. “I tried to text you, and I ended up talking to a very confused eighty-year-old woman.” 

Oikawa laughs. “Takeru, look away.” 

“Why?” Takeru asks. 

“Because I’m kissing him goodbye.” Oikawa says with a grin. 

Takeru gags and looks away, and Kageyama’s cheeks color impossibly farther. Kageyama tilts his head up for the kiss, and the look in his eyes almost breaks Oikawa’s heart. He looks like he can’t believe that he gets even this. 

The kiss is only a brief, chaste meeting of lips, but it sends tremors all through Oikawa’s body. He can feel it now; it’ll be all too easy to fall in love with Kageyama Tobio. 

#####

“You were so rude to him!” Suga says. 

“Well excuse me for not being all sunshine and flowers,” Oikawa says, kicking Suga gently under the table. “We can’t all be Mx. Refreshing.”

“Whatever,” Suga says, and kicks right back. “So Daichi, spill the beans. Who are you in love with, anyway?” 

Daichi takes a deep breath. “It’s Terushima.” 

“Am I supposed to know that name?” Suga asks. 

“Tongue piercing? From Johzenji?” 

“Oh! Terushima!” Suga says, then, “I didn’t ever actually know his name. He’s cute. Good on you.” 

“I remember him,” Kageyama says. 

“You remember everybody; it doesn’t count.” Suga says, and Kageyama rolls his eyes. 

“Johzenji?” Oikawa asks. “Aren’t they a little...wild?” 

“He’s mellowed a lot, I swear. He’s still, well, unique, but he’s not too much anymore, I guess? It feels like he’s grown into himself.” Daichi says. “We met again in class; he was in one of my gen ed classes. We haven’t talked in person in  _ months _ because first there were finals and then he left for the summer. But we’ve been talking online. A lot. And I feel like…” 

“You’ve fallen in love with him,” Kuroo says flatly. 

“Yeah,” Daichi says. “Something like that.” 

“Kuro-chan, how do you feel about the whole thing?” Oikawa asks. 

“I don’t know?” Kuroo says. “I like him. He’s just fine. I just… don’t know what it’s like to have two soulmates. What if he’s just Daichi’s and not mine?” 

“I understand,” Oikawa says. “I was so jealous when I saw that I wasn’t Tobio’s only soulmate. If I’m going to be honest, I was worried. I didn’t recognize Koushi’s name, though I was pretty sure they were someone on Tobio’s team. And I didn’t know how I was supposed to compete with that.” 

“No, hey, shut it!” Suga says. “For once it’s my turn to tell a story.” 

#####

There’s an awkwardness when Suga touches Kageyama now, when they trace their name on his arm. When their fingers touch Oikawa’s name, they flinch away as if they’d been burned. 

“You okay?” Kageyama asks. 

“I’m fine,” Suga says. Their eyes are blank and their voice is flat. 

“What’s going on?” Kageyama demands. He reaches out a cautious arm to settle a hand on Suga’s shoulder and pull them back in. 

“I…” Suga trails off. They take a deep breath and meet his eyes in a resolute stare. “I don’t think he deserves you.” 

“He doesn’t... _ have _ me,” Kageyama says. “Nobody  _ has _ me. I have me.” 

“He’s got part of your heart,” Suga says. “But he treated you like shit. He gave you a whole complex.” 

“I treated  _ everyone _ like shit,” Kageyama says. “I deserved it.” 

“He was supposed to be your senpai and  _ help _ you!” Suga argues. “You were a little shit because you were a kid.” 

“He was one too. Honestly? We still are.” Kageyama sighs. “Please...at least try to tolerate him. For me.” 

Suga nods, kisses Kageyama on the cheek, and goes back to tracing the elegant cursive of their name on Kageyama’s arm.

“I’ll try,” they whisper. 

That night, Suga texts Kageyama. 

_ Suga: Let’s go out somewhere after practice 2morrow. Arcade??? Food??? Both???  _

_ Tobio <3: I’ll ask him. _

_ Tobio <3: He says he’ll come. _

Suga meets up with them the next day, halfway between Kageyama’s house and the arcade. They’re already together, Oikawa with a tight hold on Kageyama’s arm. Kageyama smiles and holds out his hand. 

“Thank you both for coming,” Kageyama says. He squeezes Suga’s hand and leans his head on Oikawa’s shoulder. 

“You asked me to make an effort,” Suga says. “So here I am. Making one.” Suga resolutely doesn’t glare at Oikawa. They feel the tension, though, simmering between the two of them. But they won’t act on it, for Kageyama’s sake. 

“Of course, Tobio. You asked me to,” Oikawa says, and pulls Kageyama into a kiss. It’s not really appropriate, making out in the street like that, and Suga bristles. Suga doesn’t want to deal with everyone staring at them; they get that enough from their gender presentation. But more importantly, they don’t want to deal with Oikawa  _ flaunting _ his relationship with Kageyama, acting like he’s actually put in the effort that Suga has when he’d in fact done nothing but hurt Kageyama. 

Oikawa is on his best behavior the whole time, being almost sycophantic towards Kageyama, but periodically he stops to wrap his arms around him, or kiss him in front of everybody. 

“You don’t have to...do that,” Suga sighs finally, after Oikawa has shoved his tongue down Kageyama’s throat in public. They squeeze Kageyama’s hand a little harder, pulling him closer to them and away from Oikawa. 

“He’s my soulmate,” Oikawa says. “I will if I want to.” Oikawa says it so matter-of-factly, like it’s his given right to do anything he wanted with Kageyama just because his name is on Kageyama’s arm in Oikawa’s stupid kawaii handwriting. 

“He’s my soulmate, too,” Suga says, voice simultaneously offended and almost pleading. 

“Well, you’ve got to learn to share,” Oikawa says, and pulls Kageyama into a tight embrace from behind, resting his head on his shoulder. 

Something inside Suga snaps. They draw themself up to their full height and pull Kageyama away from Oikawa. Kageyama flinches, starts to protest, but Suga starts to yell, stepping in front of Oikawa and keeping him from moving. 

“You don’t deserve him. You think that just because he’s got your name on his arm, you’ve got any claim to him. But you just...You can’t just walk around  _ claiming _ him like that!” 

“He’s not--” Kageyama begins. 

“Maybe I am!” Oikawa says. “Maybe I can!” He stiffens, pulling himself up to his full height. His eyes flash. 

“You have no right to him!” Suga argues. “Just because some stupid magic decided you should be soulmates. Have you put in the work? Have you put in the love?” 

“Stop assuming you know things about me!” Oikawa says. “Stop assuming you know fucking anything about me. For that matter, stop assuming you know anything about Tobio. I’ve known him longer than you and--” 

“Tooru,” Kageyama says softly, almost as a warning, putting his hand on Oikawa’s arm, brushing his fingers against the soulmate mark. 

“Known him longer, yeah, and fucked him the fuck up!” Their voice is hoarse, their fists whiteknuckled. 

“I’m not fucked up!” Kageyama yells, finally snapping. “I’m my own person! Stop fighting over me like animals!” 

“But I love you!” Suga and Oikawa yell in unison. They freeze, staring at each other. 

“You love him?” Suga asks, almost gently. 

“I was a stupid kid, okay?” Oikawa says. “I didn’t...I shouldn’t have…” 

“But you did,” Suga says. 

“Yeah, and I’m trying every fucking day of my life to fix it, so if you could just have a little compassion for once in your life—“ 

Suga glares again, the rage in their eyes flaring back up to its peak. “You don’t know anything about me! I’ve had nothing but compassion for Tobio!” 

“Why are you fighting if you both love me?” Kageyama says. “Why do you love me anyway? I’m not worth that!” Kageyama stiffens and wipes tears away from his eyes, and Suga realizes maybe they’ve gone too far. 

“Because you’re  _ good _ , Tobio,” Suga says. “You wake up every day and decide to be better than you were yesterday. And you’re good to me.” 

“Because you’re trying,” Oikawa says. “You’re not the same boy I knew in middle school. I’m not the same either. I think now...we fit.” Oikawa turns. His eyes shoot daggers at Suga. “It’s not my fault you grew up and went to a different school and picked a better senpai than me.” 

“It’s not  _ hard _ to be a better senpai than you,” Suga grumbles. 

“Maybe not,” Oikawa admits. “But--” 

“If you really love me, you’ll try to get along for me,” Kageyama says, sniffling but decisive, eyes daring either one of them to say anything to the contrary. 

Suga sighs, unbristles, lets down their shoulders. 

“I think you might actually be trying,” they say, holding out their hand to Oikawa. 

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to compete with you,” Oikawa says quietly, not putting out his hand. He stares at the ground, resolutely avoiding Suga’s eyes. 

“Oh,” Suga says quietly. They look at Oikawa like they’re seeing him through new eyes. He finally raises his eyes to meet theirs. They lock eyes, both gazes soft, and Suga says, “Huh.” 

There’s a tingle on their arm. They reach down to scratch it, but it only gets worse, burning brightly along their nerves. Oikawa is looking down at his arm, too. 

“Don’t tell me,” Oikawa breathes out. 

“We’re soulmates,” Suga says, tone all but unintelligible. 

Oikawa looks at the name on his arm and pulls himself up to his full height, grabbing Suga by the collar and yanking them into a bruising kiss. Suga sighs into it as Oikawa swipes his tongue along their lower lip.

“Okay,” Suga says, as Oikawa pulls back. “You’ve changed. I’ll give you a chance to show it.” 

#####

“So it probably won’t be as bad as all that,” Suga finishes brightly, turning a grin to Daichi and Kuroo’s side of the table. Oikawa snorts. 

“I don’t want to kill him,” Kuroo says. He shrugs in the face of Suga’s grin. “I’m just nervous.” 

“Me too,” Daichi says worriedly. “What if he’s not my soulmate?” 

“What if I’m not his soulmate?” Kuroo says, sounding even more concerned. 

“Do you think you could get to love him?” Oikawa asks. 

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Kuroo says. “What if I love him and I’m not on his arm?” 

Well, if you love him,” Kageyama says, breaking his silence, “Does it really matter what he has on his arm?” 

“It matters whether he loves us,” Daichi says. “He keeps signing off ‘xoxo’ on things, and I don’t know if he means it or--” 

“You will literally never know if you don’t try it out,” Oikawa says. He shrugs and flashes a sage grin. 

“Nike it,” Suga says. “Just fuckin do it. Soulmates are made, Dai. You’ve put in the work. I really do think it’ll go well for you.” 

Daichi smiles and squeezes Kuroo’s hand. Kuroo looks nervous, but there’s a spark in his eye. 

“I want what you three have,” Daichi says. 

“Yeah,” Kuroo says. “Me too.” 

Suga grins. “Then go for it.” 

#####

Two weeks later, Daichi sends them a picture of him and Kuroo planting twin kisses on Terushima’s cheeks. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Kou, Adri, and Sin Central


End file.
